Cotton-picker.



J. E. PIERCE.

- COTTON PIUKER. APPLICATION rum) man, 1900.

v Patented Apr. 20, 1909.

511mm) Beroe 4 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

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v oowon noun. ngum'rmn FILED nmn mos. 918,902. Patented Apr. 20, 1909.

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J.- 1:. 1211:1102. COTTON BIOKER'. APPLICATION FILED MAR. 21, 190B.

ratenteu r. 20, 1909.

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shown in the accompanying drawings, in.

Jenn EARL rnrnonor BENJAMIN, TEXAS.

' coT'roN-PIcKER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented April 20, 1909.

Application 'filed Marcher, 1908. "Serial No. 422,569.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known. that 1, JOHN EARL PIERCE, citizen of the United States,residing at Benjamin, in the county of Knox and State of Texas, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Cotton Pickers, of whichthe following is a specification. The present invention appertains to"machinery for harvesting cotton and whichis'of such construction as toprevent injury to the plants or the uprooting thereof and which will notgather trash or affect green bolls.

Inits structural organization, the machine embodies a plurality ofspindles which. are

bearded or roughened so as to engage with the cotton and remove the samefrom the bolls, said spindles being mounted upon alro tary support whoseaxis has a horizontal ar rangement and said spindles being mounted toreceive an alternate rotary movement about their own axes, being drivenin one direction when gathering the cotton and retated in the oppositedirection to loosen the cotton to facilitate its removal.

For a full understanding of the invention and the merits thereof andalso to acquire a knowledge of the detailsof construction and the meansfor effecting the result, reference is to be had to the followingdescription and accompanying drawings.

While the invention maybe adapted to different forms and conditions bychanges in' the structure and minor details without departing from thespirit or essential features thereof, still the preferred embodiment iswhich: 7 V

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a cotton picker embodying theinvention. Fig. 2 is a vertical central longitudinal section of themachine. Fig.3 is an end view of the rotary support or picker drum, aportion being broken away. Fig. 4 is a longitudinal vsection of theupper portion of the rotary support or picker drum. Fig. 5 is a detailview of two spindles, showing the same on a larger scale. Fig. 6 is adetail perspective view of an end portion of the clearer or brush forremoving the cotton from the spindles.

Corresponding and like parts are referred to in the followingdescription and indicated in all the views of the drawings by the samereference characters.

The operating mechanism is mounted upon a truck or running gear,,the'same consisting of a frame 1 and front and reara'xles 2 and 3, saidaxles being provided with supporting wheels in the usual manner, therear wheels being. utilized also as drivers for running the operatingparts. A supplemental frame 4 is mounted upon the frame 1 so as to beadjusted vertically to regulate the height of the picking or harvestingmechanism, as may be required to secure the best results. A seriesof'gear wheels 5, 6 and 7 may be mounted upon the rear axle 3 or haveconnection with the rear wheels so as to receive motion from the latter.The picker or harvester mechanism consists of a shaft 8, drum 9 mountedupon said shaft and a series of spindles 10, the latter being providedin longitudinal and circumferential rows on said'drum. The part 9constitutes a rotary support for the pickers or spindles 10. The

shaft 8 and drum 9 are rotated at different speeds, the speed of thedrum- 9 being less than the movement of the machine, whereby thespindles in contact with the plants are caused to track with the resultthat the cotton is thoroughly removed from the plants and but little, ifany, left in the field. A gear wheel 11 fast to an end portion of thedrum or rotary support 9 is connected by sprocket chain 12 with thesprocket wheel 7. A gear wheel 13 either loose upon or fast to the shaft8 is connected by sprocket chain 14 with the sprocket wheel 6. A driver15 mounted upon the shaft 8 and having the gear wheel 13 fast thereto,is provided with two sets of cog gearing 16 and 17 which aretransversely spaced and receive between them pinions 18 fast to theinner ends of the series of spindles 10 at one end of the drum or rotarysupport. The terminal or end spindles are indicated at 10 and aremounted in the drum or rotary support so as to receive an oscillatorymovement, whereby the pinions 18 may be thrown into gear with either setof cog gearing 16 or 17. A spring 18 cooperates with each spindle 10 tonormally hold the pinion 18in mesh with the cog gearing 16. Gear wheels19 are fast to the inner ends of the spindles and are in meshingrelation, hence when the machine is in operation, the spindles of a roware alternately rotated in opposite directions. The spindles are slenderand are tapered throughout their length and are bearded or roughened ontheir outer surfaces so as to make positive engagement with the cottonand draw the same from the bolls as the machine is moved over theplants. A trip to disengage the pinions 18 from the cog gearing 16 andcause them to mesh with the cog gearing 17, whereby the spindles arerotated in the opposite direction. This takes place at or about theinstant a longitudinal row of spindles comes in position to be acted uon by the brush or clearer, with the resu t that the cotton is loosenedfrom the spindles and is quickly and easily removed therefrom by theclearer or brush.

The brush or clearer comprises a body 21 and a series of tufts 22projected outward therefrom in longitudinal and circumferential rows,the outer ends of the tufts being rearwardly curved with reference tothe direction of rotation of the brush or clearer. The tufts or brushelements are arranged to operate on opposite sides of the spindles so asto engage with the cotton at opposite points and thereby insure itsready removal from the spindles. The brush or clearer is driven 'at acomparatively high speed to cause the brush elements to quickly stripthe cotton from the spindles. A sprocket Wheel 23 fast to the projectingend of the shaft of the rotary brush or clearer is connected by means ofsprocket chain 24 to a sprocket idler 25, which latter in turn isconnected by means of a sprocket chain 26 to the sprocket Wheel 5. Therotary brush or clearer is arranged above and in the rear of the pickingmechanism so as to strip the cotton from the spindles as soon as thelatter leave the plant and before the spindles assame an uprightposition.

A wagon or receptacle 27 is arranged in the rear of the machine toreceive the cot-- ton, the latter being delivered thereto by means of anelevator 28, which inclines upwardly and rearwardly from a point beneaththe rotary brush or clearer. The elevator 28 may be of any constructionand arrangement and is driven so that its upper portion travels upwardand rearward, thereby effecting delivery of the cotton to the wagon orreceptacle 27.

In the operation of the machine the same is drawn over the field so thatthe rotary support or drum 9 is caused to travel over a row of plantswith the spindles operating between the branches to within a shortdistance of the ground, the parts being adjusted to insure thoroughaction of the spindles upon every portion of the plant bearing cotton.Because of the comparativelyslow rotary movement of the picker drum, thespindles remain in active relation with the plants for a longer periodthan would be the case if the drum were rotated at a comparatively highspeed, hence the cotton is thoroughly removed from the plants. hen thespindles are operating upon the plants to gather or pick the cotton,they are rotated in one direction and when they clear the plants andcome in position to be acted upon by the rotary brush or clearer, thespindles are rotated in an opposite direction, with the result that thecotton is loosened, and at the same time is stripped from the spindlesby the action of the brush. All cotton not delivered directly into thewagon or receptacle 27 by the action of the brush, and falling upon theelevator 28, is delivered thereby into said receptacle or wagon. 7

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new is:

1. In a cotton harvester, the combination of a rotary support, a seriesof spindles mounted thereon, a driver comprising toothed portions spacedapart, certain of the spindles extending into the space formed betweenthe toothed portions of the driver, pinions mounted upon the extensionsof the spindles and adapted to mesh with either toothed portion of thedriver, and means for throwing either toothed portion of the driver intomesh with the said pinions, whereby the spindles may be rotated inopposite directions.

2. In a cotton harvester, the combination of a rotary support, a seriesof spindles mounted thereon, certain spindles having extensions andmounted to oscillate, pinions mounted upon the extensions of theoscillating spindles, a driver comprising toothed portions spaced apartadapted to receive between the said toothed portions the aforesaidpinions, and means for imparting movement to the oscillatory spindles tothrow the pinions thereof into gear with either toothed portion of thesaid driver.

3. In a cotton harvester, the combination of a drum, rows of spindlesmounted in the drum, gearing connecting the spindles of the severalrows, one of the spindles of each row being extended, pinions mountedupon the extended spindles, a driver comprising spaced toothed portionsadapted to receive between them the aforesaid pinions, and 110 means forthrowing said pinions into mesh with either set of cog gearing of thedriver to impart rotary movement to the spindles in either direction.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature 115 in presence of twowitnesses.

C. H. BURNETT.

